INTRODUCTIONS A standard introduction to a literary analysis paper will have three parts (usually in this order): 1.Hook 2.Background Information 3.Thesis

THE HOOK The hook is a sentence (or more) that draws your audience into the paper. It makes the reader want to continue to read! It can be a broad statement, a fact or statistic, a quote by a recognizable person, or a number of other options. The lead should be related to the topic of your paper and should immediately reveal the sophistication level of your essay.

HOOKS TO AVOID Because of their overuse, there are some leads that you should try to avoid. –The Webster: “Webster defines [theme word] as…” –The Carl Sagan: “For billions of years…” AKA “Since the beginning of time…” –The Reading Rainbow: “Have you ever…?”

Example #1—Broad Statement Senator Joseph McCarthy’s accusations about suspected Communist sympathizers struck fear in the hearts of U.S. citizens in the early 1950s. In many ways, his Communist witch hunts reminded many of the Salem witch hunts in 1692.

EXAMPLE #2—Quote On February 9, 1950, an obscure and unpopular Senator from Wisconsin named Joseph McCarthy made a bold statement in a speech in West Virginia: "The State Department is infested with Communists."

Remember… Provide CONTEXT for the quote Don’t just drop the quote and then move on. Who said it? WHY?

Example #3— Fact/Statistic By the end of the summer in 1692, twenty three innocent citizens of Salem, Massachusetts had lost their lives to the tyranny of the Salem witch hunts. By the end of the year 1956, countless U.S. citizens were victims of a second witch hunt which destroyed careers, friends, and lives.

BRAINSTORM… Consider the paper we are working on now. Brainstorm a hook for each of the categories below. A BROAD STATEMENT AN OBSERVATION A MEMORABLE QUOTE Make sure each is representative of the sophistication of your overall analysis.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION The background information is the information that your audience will need to understand your analysis. It includes identification of: author the title of the text the situation being discussed.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION It does not require a lot of background synopsis or summary It should merely include the setup information to prepare your audience for your argument. Assume the reader has some basic knowledge of the work of literature.

FORMAT MATTERS! Remember that all your background information should be ABSOLUTELY CORRECT, down to the punctuation and capitalization. Don’t leave anything out! This is a PLAY, not a novel. Use italics to indicate the title!

BRAINSTORM Consider the paper we are working on now. What background information must you offer to prepare your audience for your analysis? Remember to include significant titles and names of writers or characters/figures in the text. How are names and titles properly capitalized and punctuated?

THESIS Everyone knows the thesis is important. It provides a roadmap for the rest of the paper, and sums up the entire argument of the analysis in one statement. Your thesis statement directs all of the ideas, quote selection, and commentary in your essay. Therefore, a muddled or imprecise thesis statement will lead to an essay that lacks clarity and/or meaning.

A thesis statement is NOT A simple observation of an abstract concept. For example, simply pointing out that “greed” exists in a passage is not a thesis statement. A general “universal” truth. For example, stating that “for thousands of years, man has been greedy” is not a thesis statement.

A thesis statement IS A statement that provides direction for the your position or argument. For this essay, your thesis must: –Address an argument Miller is making. –Address how YOU feel about Miller’s argument. –REMEMBER: you can agree/support his argument, disagree/challenge, or be some where in the middle (called qualifying).

An example thesis: Miller is mostly correct in arguing that individuals must stand in opposition to collective injustice. However, there are situations when the concerns for personal safety and well-being are more important.

NOTE: Your thesis statement CAN be more than one sentence. If you are mostly agreeing or mostly disagreeing with Miller, you probably will NOT need a thesis of more than one sentence.

BRAINSTORM Consider the paper we are working on now. What is Miller’s argument? What is your opinion about that Miller’s argument? How might all those things be worded into a well-written thesis statement?

ASSEMBLING THE PARTS When you have begun with an effective lead, offered all the necessary context correctly, and included your insightful thesis statement, you have assembled all the parts of a complete introduction. A transition to the first body paragraph will be necessary, and may appear as the last line of the intro or as the first line of the next paragraph.

TIMELINE TODAY: Drafting in class NEXT CLASS: Rough draft due –Writing group meetings & revision time THURSDAY: Quick lesson on commentary & revision work time FRIDAY: Initial deadline 11PM –Submit by this date for Drajem feedback & ability to re-submit FRIDAY Nov 16: Final deadline